Guardian question

[marcicat]

Why doesn't Zhu Jiu carry a flashlight?

This occurred to me on Monday, as I was trying to decide if I needed to explain why Zhu Jiu was using his teleporting power in Dixing. (It was easy enough to handwave a few thoughts together, so I decided it didn't need an official explanation. He Just Can because it was important for the story; problem solved.)

I get his whole ~tragic backstory~ thing, but once he figured out his power, it seemed pretty flexible. And apparently artificial lights work fine, or else they wouldn't have needed to blackout the city to capture him. Plus, we know that he's aware of flashlights, because the guard had one when he asked about the Hanga mountains!

(Can you even imagine how funny that capture scene would have been? The whole complex plan, and then Zhu Jiu sweeps his hair out of his face to reveal... a battery-powered headlamp! Surprise!)

Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is that you should always check to see if the people you despise have come up with some nifty technology that makes your powers even more awesome.

Comments

Zhu Jiu's chronic coolness

[rheasilvia]

I assume he is Just Too Cool. This horrible impediment has brought down many a villain... and hero.

ETA: As I was pondering the dangers of chronic coolness, another possible explanation occurred to me. There might be directional conditions playing into Zhu Jiu's use of light - perhaps he can only ride the waves in a certain direction, as it were. Which means that a light source originating from Zhu Jiu might not work; it'd be like trying to lift himself by his own bootstraps.

Re: Zhu Jiu's chronic coolness

[marcicat]

These are both excellent points! And if only Zhu Jiu hadn't been so committed to the coolness factor, it seems like point #2 could be alleviated by simply flinging the flashlight away from himself. Sure, the *second* time he tried that trick, Shen Wei surely would have been able to counteract it, but the *first* time? Pretty sure the sheer wtf shock value would have guaranteed success.

Re: Zhu Jiu's chronic coolness

[starandrea]

Dude, I laughed aloud at both "Pretty sure the wtf shock value would have guaranteed success" and "For sure! Just another excellent example of why Dixing needs a stronger education system!"

♥♥♥

Re: Zhu Jiu's chronic coolness

[marcicat]

Not gonna lie, I have spent a significant amount of time this afternoon picturing Zhu Jiu flinging ever-more-improbable sources of light around. His coat could have held So Many glowsticks.

Re: Zhu Jiu's chronic coolness

[rheasilvia]

Glowsticks would be a great choice, actually! They would probably be bound to work once they've landed. Yay! Also, way more cool than flashlights!

Re: Zhu Jiu's chronic coolness

[rheasilvia]

And he could have preserved the coolness factor by changing his entire image to something related to the raver scene! What a missed opportunity.

Re: Zhu Jiu's chronic coolness

[starandrea]

Fortunately I was walking out of the building when I laughed at this, instead of standing at my desk. :D

Re: Zhu Jiu's chronic coolness

[rheasilvia]

OMG, I would have LOVED that. That would have been hilarious.

On the other hand, if the direction of the light matters, then surely stability does, as well - so throwing a light source in a way that would give you time to use the resulting light waves to teleport while the light source is actually in the air would be very tricky (if not impossible). The flashlight might land the way you'd need it to, but given it'd generally be a hasty throw, you'd probably mess it up more often than not.

This all makes me even more sorry Zhu Jiu didn't try, because how funny would it have been?

*All the light go out*

Zhu Jiu: *lets out a bark of laughter* Ha, as if you can catch me with such foolish tricks! Do you think I haven't planned for this??

*Zhu Jiu produces a flashlight with a dramatic flourish, thumbs on the light, hurls it wildly away - and squints and jumps frantically while nothing happens. The flashlight lands at an angle to him and rolls to a stop.*

*Everyone stares at him.*

ZJ: ...

[kimboo_york]

I have zero answers but this post actually made me laugh out loud because OF COUSE ahahaha

(although if I had to guess, I would go with the typical "overconfident villain" trope, who doesn't think he needs that kind of back up plan b/c he's just TOO SMART for everyone else or whatever)

[marcicat]

For sure! Just another excellent example of why Dixing needs a stronger education system!